Great books serve as either moral compass or historical artifact

The moral compass. Proponents of the Great Books tradition argue that literature serves as a practical guide for conduct and self-restraint. Thomas Jefferson encouraged Robert Skipwith to study Cicero and Seneca to learn how to live honorably (The Dean’s List). George Washington similarly relied on Bishop Blackall’s writings to refine his temperament and overcome impetuousness (The Dean’s List). These readers view classic texts as a repository of timeless wisdom, capable of anchoring individuals in an increasingly scattered world (Jeff Goins from The Ghost).

The historical artifact. Others contend that the value of literature lies in its role as a record of specific lives and times, rather than a prescriptive manual. Micah Mattix notes that anthologies and curricula are often wagers on what deserves to be perpetuated, reflecting the shifting priorities of their own era (Micah Mattix from Prufrock). For these critics, the joy of reading comes from exploring the history of the novel as an evolving form, where the reader engages with the author’s singular psyche rather than seeking universal life lessons (The Middling Place, Auraist. The best writers on Substack.).

These positions highlight the tension between reading to be transformed by an author’s moral vision and reading to map the development of human thought across history. While the former seeks to cultivate virtue, the latter prioritizes the intellectual adventure of encountering diverse ways of seeing the world (Thee Book Club from Love letters to literature).

• Rosemary Sutcliff’s retellings of the Iliad and Odyssey introduce children to foundational Western values like honor and prudence before they encounter the original texts (Restoring the West by Ayaan Hirsi Ali).
• Charles and Mary Lamb adapted Shakespeare’s plays into child-friendly prose to help readers master complex plots without losing the thread of the story (Restoring the West by Ayaan Hirsi Ali).